Improvement in mechanical movements



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ARCHIBALD NIMMO, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, THOMAS MORAN, AND VALENTINE STAUSSE, OF SAME PLAGE.

Letters Patent No. 113,687, dated April 11, 1871.

IMPROVEMENT iN MECHANICAL MOVEMENTS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

I, ARCHIBALD NIMMO, of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new Mechanical Movement, of which the following is a specification Nature ami Object of the Invention.

Description. of the Accompanyt'ugDrawing.

Figure lis a view of a series oi' graduated cams and levers arranged to illustrate my mechanical move- .ment; and

vFigures 2 and 3 are views of a series of graduated slotted cams and of a series of graduated wedges, through' the medium of either of which my invention can be carried into effect.

General Description.

In carrying out my invention many modifications and varieties of devices may be adopted, all, however, being based on the same general principles, thecharacter of the detailed mechanism being in a great measure dependent upon its application.

The device illustrated in iig. 1 will serve to refer to in explaining my new movement, the prime movers consisting ot' three levers, A A A, and the pointer B and graduated quadrant D serving to indicate the multifarious changes which can be produced by operating these three levers through the medium of the new mechanical movementpvhich in the present iustance is dependent on three levers, E, F, and G, andV three cams, H, I, and J, the whole being inclosed in a box, K.

The cam J is hung to a fixed pin, a, and is arranged to operate the lever E, which is also hung to a fixed pin, and which carries the cam I, the latter being arranged to operate the lever F, which is j oiuted to the outer end of the lever E and carries a cam, H, arranged to operate the lever G, the latter being jointed to the outer end of the lever F, and the last lever, G, is connected to the pointer B by a rod, M;

Each of the cams is connected to one of the operating levers A.

I t will be observed that there are eight marks or graduations on the quadrant D, und that when the cams H and I are elevated and the cani J depressed `once reach the graduationA 8, but will at once moveto the lowest graduation, l, on depressing the whole of the cams; but on raising the cam J only while the others are depressed the pointer will be moved from the mark l to the mark 2. In like manner, bythe simple manipulation of these three cams the pointer may be directed not only from graduation to graduation so as to make eight successive changes of position, but can be directed from any one graduation to any other graduation without hesitating at intermediate graduations; and thus the pointer can have hundreds of different movements imparted to it and this is owing` to the fact that while the position of the highest lever G is dependent on its own cam H` it is,

also dependent upon the positions of the cams below; in other words, each of' the cams basan independent action of its own as regards the eiiecting' oi some movements ofthe pointer, while it is dependent upon one or both of the other cams for eifecting'other move-` ments. For instance, if it is desired to move the pointer from the graduation l to 8, all the cams must` be elevated simultaneously; but if the movement of the pointer from 1-to 7 only is desired. the cam J remains depressed and the cams I and H should be elevated simultaneously.

It should be here understood, however, that this effect could not be produced if euch ofthe three cams of itself im parted the same extent of movement to the pointer. In that case the utmost limit of the pointer would be the graduation .4, and the number of changes would be very much restricted.

It will be observed, however, that the cams are graduated. For instance, the operation ot' the cam H, the other camsv being. depressed, will move the pointer from the mark 1 to the ma'rk 5, while the operation of the cam I alone will move the pointer from 1 to 3, and the operation ofthe lowest cam will move lthe pointer to thex extent of ,one graduation only, the

operation of the whole of the cams moving the pointer to the full extent of the quadrant.

It is essential, therefore, in carrying out my inveuf,`

tion, either that the cams should be graduated or that the levers on which the cams operate should be gruduated, or that the positions of the oamsin respect to the fulcrums of the levers should be graduated to bring about the desired result.

Aprominent application of my invention is that to the drop-boxes of looms; in fact it was for this that the movement was originally designed.

Take away the Apointer and quadrant, which have been simply introduced here to illustrate the capacity of the invention in effecting different movements, and attach the rod M directly to the sliding drop-box of a loom in which are eight compartments for as many shuttles, each shuttle having a thread of a color dit? fering from that ofthe threads of all the other yshuttles. By the simple operation of these three cams the drop-box can be so changed that any one of these lcolored threads can be made to succeed any other of the eight colors which may have been Woven into the fabric, a result the importance oi which will be readily understood by those familiarwith the art of weaving.

But my invention can be carried into eiiect without' the aid of the levers E, F, and G, shown in fig. 1. In

`the modilication fig. 2, for instance,the same variety oi` movements niaybe imparted to the guided rod mbytlie slotted cams H, I, and J, a pin,.a:, on the said rod m passing'through the curved slot of the cam G, which is arranged to vibrate on a pin, a, passing through the curved slot ofthe cam I, the latter being hung to a pin', b, passing through the curved slot of the third'cam J', which is hung to a xed pin, d these pins x, a, and b being guided by a vertical slot y in a vertical frame, K.

While the rod M can be`operated to a limited extent by' the movement ofthe cam` G only, .the altitude of that cam is dependent upon the position of the cams I and J hence the same multil'arious changes inthe movement of the rod M can be produced by Athese three cams as were effected by the cams and levers Vin fig. l; in fact the slotted cams in fig. 2 are the equivalents of the cams and levers in g. 1.

It will be remarked, however, that in the above modification there is the same essential feature of my invention, namely, vthe vgraduation of the cams..

In the modification illustrated in jg. 3 Wedges H I J, arranged to be reciprocated, are substituted for the cams in iig. 2 and forthe cams and levers in g.

.to vertical slots in the frame A, and that the upper yielding roller a3 is attached to the slidingr rod m.

Other devices involving the saine general principles will readily suggest themselves to those experienced. in 'the mechanic arts.

Although I have illustrated and described three graduated cams, or their equivalents, the number of graduated cams may be increased, thereby increasing the capacity of the mechanical movement for effecting changes. For instance, if we add to fig. la fourth cam and lever, a quadrant with sixteen graduations on it would be required to illustrate the capacity of the movement, and a quadrant with thirtytwo gradvnations ouit would 'be required to illustrate the ca -pacity ofthe movement ifa iit'th. cam and lever were added,

C' laim.

The system of graduated cams,'or their equivalents, arranged to be operated and to impart the withindescribed,movements, substantially in the manner' described.

In testimony whereof I'have signed my name-to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ARCHIBALD NIMMO.

Witnesses WM. A. STEEL, F. B. RICHARDS. 

